Miami Dolphins Show Perseverance, Toughness in Road Win at Buffalo

It was far from pretty, but the Dolphins came away with a gritty week-one win on the Bills turf by a score of 15-10. In the NFL. wins don’t come easy, especially on the road. Forget how they won, the end result is all that matters. Next up: Brett Favre and the Vikings for another test on the road.

Quick Hitters

Cameron Wake made a great first impression as a full-time guy. He finished the game with a sack and should have had another. He will continue to be a menace for opposing lineman this season and again. I would be shocked if he didn’t have double digit sacks by season's end.Chad Henne (21/34 and 182 yards) looked like he was afraid. He played tentatively and ultra safe, throwing countless balls low and away. He needs to adapt a gunslinger’s mentality. There’s no such thing as a great quarterback who lacks confidence.

The Dolphins defense as an entire unit looked dominant for most of the game, sans a late touchdown drive by the Bills in the final few minutes. Cornerback Jason Allen should have had a pick for six late in the fourth quarter. Still we’re not sure how good they are because after all, this was the Bills.

The line was a huge question mark heading into the season. They were solid in run blocking, but could have been better. I’d like to see them deliver more of a push off the snap. In pass protection they were spotty at times. They still look like they’re in the process of building chemistry.

Brandon Marshall (8 receptions, 53 yards) looked good at times and erratic at others. He needs to wake up and become the steady, consistent target he’s been his whole career. That means no more drops when the ball hits his hands.

Linebacker Karlos Dansby is better than I thought he was. He is instinctive, explosive, and a big-time leader on defense.Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams collectively rushed for 127 yards on 31 carries. Brown, the faster of the two, was more effective over the game’s duration (5.0 yards per carry compared to Ricky’s 3.4)

Ugly yes, but a win nonetheless. At least one Miami football team gave us reason for optimism this weekend.